Race Track Photography

[Candid Shots by Fallon]

I have been wanting to take some great pictures at a car race track. I have not figured out how to get the best shots. When we go, it is at night. I can get pretty close to the action and can use my basic 18-55 lense, the 300 is too much and I am not back far enough to use that one. I am using a Canon EOS RebelXS. When I shoot at night, the shots come our blurry and dark. What can I do to get the best shot? I have seen some great pictures taken at the same track at night and they get great shots.

PLEASE HELP!

[kuvahmagh]

Most of the time they are using a Flash, I don't but in a quick straw poll I can think of only 1 other person who doesn't, everyone else I know shoots with a Flash. The other option is fast glass or a steady hand.

I shoot in full manual setting my Aperture wide open and then using my Shutter to control the Exposure. After it gets dark I shoot at ISO 1600 and anywhere between 1/125 -1/300 depending on where I am and what the lighting is like.

Even with a Flash though be prepared to throw a lot of shots away, what it really comes down to is practice.

[Life in Motion]

hello. while i don't take a lot of action shots. i did have a chance to shoot a type of racetrack event recently and i too have a canon rebel xs with just a pop up flash and actually used my 50 mm1.8 lens for this shot. What i found helpful was mainly practice panning. which is tracking the object with your shutter button, pushing down the button a few times along there way down the track before you click it down all the way for the actual shot your looking for. this can be a lot better explained by some articles. but that is the jest of it. i find it more difficult when it is several vehicles but i got some neat shots by panning along with the vehicles i wanted to spotlight in focus and let the rest show the motion blur.

hope this helps